Last night was our annual dinner and gift exchange with our good friends. Notably absent in the photo above is Steph. Although invited she chose not to attend. I’m not going to get into all of the issues surrounding her decision but I will say that it’s probably for the best that she was not there. Things have not been good between her and the rest of us for quite some time. I guess divorce does that- tears apart families, ruins friendships, etc. It’s really a shame. But I will say that in true the Christmas spirit, we managed to have a wonderful evening full of amazing food and laughs in spite of the drama that’s been going on. Everyone came over about 6 PM and before we knew it half of the kids were passed out and it was past 11 PM!!! That’s a good night 🙂
I chose to host the party at our house this year instead of trying to do another progressive dinner party. It was easier just to keep everything in one place. The kids enjoyed an assortment of Frostie sodas, homemade veggie macaroni and cheese with green bean casserole and crescent rolls. For appetizers we had Italian dry salami slices, summer sausage, smoked Gouda cheese, Colby Jack cheese, an assortment of crackers, cream cheese topped with chipotle peach jam, Belgian dark chocolate tea cups filled with raspberry Chocovine, and Big Red’s colossal shrimp cocktail. My friend, B, brought a turkey breast, smashed potatoes and stuffing that perfectly complimented all of the sides I prepared. For dessert there was chocolate cake, three kinds of fudge, cookies and coconut custard tarts.
Dude! I think I gained 10 lbs.
I bought the children party crackers to open after dinner. We’d never tried them before and thought they added a little something fun to the evening. Most of the toys inside were cheap and got lost easily but were fun nonetheless. Especially the colorful paper crowns.
Everyone exchanged presents before dessert. My living room looked like a tornado touched down. There was paper, bows, box remnants, etc. everywhere! The kids squeals of delight were priceless.
Like I said, the Christmas spirit filled our home last night. Our hearts and bellies were full. We didn’t want to break the spell of the night by ending the festivities. It’s one of those special times that we will always remember.
Adventures of Four 